Ingredients
Whipped ricotta:
- 200 g ricotta
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 clove confit garlic, mashed
- freshly squeezed 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp lemon zest
- sea salt & black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
Pasta:
- 120 g pasta e.g. conchiglioni
- 50 g whole shelled fresh or thawed fava beans
- 1 orange bell pepper, cubed
- 100 g Small grape tomatoes
- 100 g zucchini, cubed
- 100 g baby turnips, cut in wedges
- 100 g white asparagus, peeled and cut in 4 cm pieces
- 2 spring onions, diagonally sliced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves confit garlic, mashed
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- sea salt & black pepper, freshly ground
Garnish:
- 20 g mixed fresh herbs e.g. basil, chives, mint & tarragon, chopped
- handful of mixed cress e.g. rock chives®, daikon cress® & Affilla cress®
- 25 g parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients for the whipped ricotta with a food processor or by hand. Taste and season extra if necessary. Don’t be stingy with the salt, it will enhance the flavor.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta al dente according to instructions, between 6-12 min (depending on your pasta kind). Drain, but keep 100 ml of the pasta water, return to the pan.
- In the meantime, heat olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat, sauté the garlic for 30 sec, then add the veggies and cook for 1 min. Add pasta water, cover and cook for 4 min until veggies are tender, uncover for the last minute. Stir in pasta, cheese and lemon juice and toss well to combine. Taste and season with salt & pepper and half of the herbs.
- Spread the whipped ricotta onto two plates. Divide the pasta on top. Garnish with the rest of the herbs, cress and pine nuts and serve immediately. Make sure to have a bit of ricotta with every bite.
I made this for dinner last night and it was a huge hit.